Railway supporting tower



May 15, 1934. Q D, MSH' 1,958,889

RAILWAY SUPPORTING TOWER Filed Feb. 1'7, v1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTCRNEYMay 15, 1934. G. D. FISH 1,958,889

RAILWAY SUPPORTING TOWER Filed Feb. 17. 1951 2 sheets-sheet 2 ZZINVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented May 15, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICERAILWAY SUPPORTING TOWER Application February 17, 1931, Serial No.516,460

11 Claims. (Cl. 18S-21) Among the objects of my invention are to providea new and improved tower for supporting an overhead railway structureand to provide a method for the construction of such a tower. Anotherobject is to provide for advantageously assembling certain parts of thetower structure at the shop and completing the assembly of the tower asa whole in the eld. Other objects relate to securing the base of thetower in a reinforced concrete footing, providing suitable resistance inthe footing for bending stresses in the tower, and fastening the lowerend of the tower to the reinforcing parts in the footingl in apracticable and convenient manner. All these iobjects and other objectsand advantages of my invention will become apparent on consideration ofa specic example of practice in accordance with the invention, whichwill be disclosed in the following specification. It will be understoodthat this disclosure relates principally to this particular example ofthe invention and that the scope of the invention will be indicated inthe appended claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is an elevation of a tower lookinglengthwise along the railway structure which it supports; Figure 2 is anelevation looking in a direction at a right angle to that of Figure 1Figure 3 is an elevation, partly in section, of the lower end of a towerlooking in the same direction as in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a horizontalsection on the line 4--4 in Figure 3; Figure 5 is a vertical sectionshowing the tower footing; and Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 ofFigure 5, showing the footing reinforcement elements.

The towers, such as shown in Figures 1 and 2 and indicated generally bythe reference numeral 11, stand in a row, each supporting a tower arm12, with longitudinal girders 13 at its ends, and on these girders restthe track rails 14. Cars such as 16 are suspended through the goosenecks15 and wheels 17 on this rail 14. Secured to the sides of the towers 11are longitudinal guide rails 18 engaged by members 19 which project fromthe bottom of each car 16.`

Each tower l1 stands in a footing for which a corresponding pit 20 isdug in the ground. A- mat of reenforcing members 2l, shown at the rightof Figure 6, is assembled by welding in vthe shop, and a flat steelplate 22 is welded across this mat in the shop. The mat 21 with itsattached plate 22 is carried from the shop to the pit 20, and blocked upin a horizontal position slightly above the bottom of the pit 20. Beforeplacing the mat 21, some concrete is put in the bottom of the pit 20where it will ll the space under the plate 22.

The steel tower 11 consists principally of a. center web 24 whose planeis perpendicular to the direction of the track rails 14, and two plates23 with the edges of the web 24 welded thereto, as shown in section inFigure 4. vAlong the edges of the plates 23 angle shapes 25 are Welded,and between the plates 23 the horizontal stiifening plates 10 areintroduced.

For engagement with the footing Vto be described presently, a frameworkis built around the base of the tower, as will now be described. Thevertical transverse plates 30, substantially parallel with the web 24,are welded across the outer faces of the angles 25, at their lower ends.Short horizontal angles 26 are then welded to the plates 30, and at thesame level the horizontal plates 27 have their edges welded to the web24 and other smaller plates 27 are attached similarly at a higher level.Other horizontal plates 28 and 28 are welded along one edge of each tothe vertical outside faces of the tower plates 23, and these plates 28and 28 are braced by the intermediate blocks 29, all welded together.Also the horizontal plates 31 have one edge of each Welded to the flatplates 30. Vertical plates 32 are also welded across the ends of thehorizontal plates 31.

The towers 11 built in the manner described and with the elementsdesignated by the reference numerals 26 to 32, inclusive, are allassembled by welding in the shop. Having placed the reenforcing mat 21in the pit 20, as described heretofore, the tower 11 is brought from theshop and stood up with its lower end resting on the plate 22. This lowerend of the tower is then welded to the plate 22 and a furtherreenforcing net work is prepared at a higher level than the reenforcingmat 21. This upper reenforcing net work comprises the bars 33 which arethreaded through holes 34 in the side plates 23 of the towerv and in theplates 32. Also two additional reenforcing bars 33 are placed acrossbeyond the plates 32. All these bars 33 and 33 are bent down a little oneach side of the tower, as shown in Figure 5. Cross bars 35 are addedand fastened with wire and stirrups 36 are hooked under certainintersections of the reenforcing mat 21 and passed up and their endsbent over the bars 33 and 33 and 35 of the upper reenforcing net work,as shown in Figure 5.

Having assembled the tower and the reenforcing elements for the footingin the manner that has been described, concrete is poured into the pit2o so as to nu completely under the mat 11 21, and above this mat, andall around the upper net work 33-33-35 as shown at 38 in Figure 5. Thenearth is filled in over the toes of the footing as shown at 39, so as torestore the ground level over the entire footing.

, The towers that have been described are well adapted for apportioningthe work of assembly between the shop and the eld. It will be seen thatthe bottom reenforcing mat 21 and its overlying central steel plate 22can all be assembled readily by welding in the shop, whereas it would beawkward or impossible to assemble them in this way in the pit 20. Alsothe tower structure and its attachments around the lower end areassembled in the shop, the parts being unitedV :practically completes.the job of erecting the 25 tower.

Obviously, the tower must be made to resist lateral bending stresses duet-o the weight of cars 16 on one side or the other, and to resistbending stresses due to lateral wind pressures on the track supportingstructure and on cars hanging therefrom. Consider a bending moment tothe right applied to the tower 11, as viewed in Figure 1. This may belooked upon as resisted i in the right hand half of the footing by atension in the bottom of the footing and a thrust in the upper partthereof. The said tension in the bottom part of the footing is along thetransverse reenforcing bars of themat 21, thence into the plate 22welded thereto, and thence into the bottom end of the tower which iswelded to the said plate 22., more particularly, into the verticaltransverse plates 30 and 29. The thrust communicated by the upper partof the footing is applied by the body of concrete facing against theplates 32 and the part of the plate 23 lying between plates 32. Thethrust against the plates 32 goes into the plates 31 and the plateswelded thereto, and thence to the plates 30 and the web 24 paralleltherewith. Thus the thrust along the whole extent of the shoulder ofconcrete is distributed and communicated against the part of the towerat the level of the upper part of the concrete footing. In the part ofthe tower where the bending stress is greatest, that is, in its bottomend, this stress is resisted by the three plates all parallel with theplane of said stress, namely, the two plates 30 and the web plate 24.The tension in the bottom part of the footing and the thrust in itsupper part, due to a lateral bending moment in the tower, sets up ashearing stress in the footing. This is suitably resisted by thestirrups 36 distributed in the footing and extending verticallytherethrough.

The tower is built securely to resist stresses that j might tend to pullit up from the footing; in other words, the bottom end of the tower issecurely anchored into the footing. This is accomplished by the weldedconnection of the bottom plate 22 between the underlying reenforcing mat21 and the overlying bottom end of the tower and its reenforcing plates30; also by the angle irons 26. plates 27 and the plates 28 and otherelements at the same level, all welded to the bottom of the tower andembedded in the concrete; also by the i reenforcing rods 33 threadedthrough the holes in the bottom of the tower and embedded in theconcrete.

I claim:

1. In combination, a tower and a reenforced concrete footing connectedtherewith and adapted to resist a side bending stress in the tower, saidfooting comprising a horizontal mat and said mat comprising tensilereenforcing bars, the bottom end of said tower being securely fastenedto said mat, and concrete extending below and above said mat and aroundthe lower end of the tower and up to form a thrust resisting shoulderfor the tower at a level somewhat above said mat.

2. In combination, a tower and a reenforced concrete footing connectedtherewith and adapted to resist a side bending stress in the tower, saidfooting comprising a horizontal mat and said mat comprising tensilereenforcing bars, the bottom end of said tower being fastened by asecure connection to said mat, said connection comprising an extensivewelded connection, and concrete extending below and above said mat andaround the lower end of the tower and up to form a thrust resistingshoulder for the tower at a level somewhat above said mat.

3. In combination, a tower and a reforced concrete footing connectedtherewith and adapted to resist a side bending stress in the tower, saidfooting comprising a horizontal mat of tensile reenforcing bars eachextending parallel toy the plane of said bending stress, an overlyinghorizontal steel plate welded to said mat, the bottom end of said towerstanding on said plate and having an extensive welded connectiontherewith, and concrete extending below and above said mat and aroundthe lower end of the tower and up to form a thrust resisting shoulderfor the tower at a level somewhat above said mat.

4. In combination, a tower, and a reenforced concrete footing for thetower adapted to resist 118 a bending moment on the tower, said footingconsisting of a bottom mat of reenforcing bars, an overlying centralsteel plate welded thereto, the bottom end of the tower being welded tosaid plate, and concrete extending under and through and 120 above saidmat and forming shoulders against the tower on each side at a levelsomewhat above said mat.

5. In combination, a tower and a reenforced concrete footing connectedtherewith and adapted to resist a side bending stress in the tower, saidfooting comprising a horizontal mat of tensile re-enforcing bars, thebottom end of said tower having an extensive welded connection thereto,shear resisting reenforcing bars attached to said mat and extending uptherefrom, and concrete extending below and above said mat and aroundthe lower end of the tower and up to form a thrust resisting shoulderfor the tower at a level somewhat above said mat.

6. In combination, in a pit in the ground, a horizontal mat ofreinforcing bars spaced a little above the bottom of the pit, and atower standing on said mat and being fastened by a secure connection tosaid mat, said connection comprising a welded connection, a thrustresisting collar welded to the tower a little above said mat, and aconcrete footing filling the pit and around said mat and offeringresistance to tension at the bottom of the tower and to thrust at thesaid collar due to a bending moment on the tower.

'7. In combination, a tower, and a footing for the tower to resist abending moment on the tower, said footing consisting of a bottom mat ofreenforcing members, the bottom end of the l5@ Cil tower being fastenedby a secure connection to said mat, said connection comprising a weldedconnection, thrust resisting plates welded to the tower a little aboveits bottom end, and a mass of concrete below said mat and extendingthroughout and up to the level of said thrust resisting Vmembers,whereby the said bending moment is resisted as a tension in the bottomof the mass of concrete and a thrust in its upper part.

8. In combination, a bottom mat of reenorcing bars, a central metalplate overlying them and welded to them, a tower standing on said plateand welded thereto, a network of reenforcing bars at a higher level thansaid mat, said tower having horizontal holes therethrough with some ofthe last mentioned bars threaded through these holes, a collar welded tothe tower at the level of said upper network, vertical membersconnecting the bottom mat and the upper net work, and a mass of concreteextending continuously below said mat and between it and said net workand above said network and through and around the lower end of saidtower.

9. In combination, a tower subject to bending moments in either of twoopposite directions, and a footing for said tower, consisting of ahorizontal bottom mat with tensile reenforcing bars extending parallelwith said directions, a central horizontal plate welded to said bars,the bottom end of said tower standing on said plate and being weldedthereto, and concrete extending below and through and above said mat andup to form a shoulder on each side of said tower at a level somewhatabove said mat, whereby the bending moments on either side are resistedby tensile stress in the said bars and by thrust in the said concreteshoulders.

10. The method of building a steel tower with a reenforced concretefooting adapted to resist a bending moment in the tower, which consistsin assembling at the shop a welded bottom reenforcing mat with anoverlying central steel plate welded thereto, also assembling at theshop the steel tower with a collar structure welded around it slightlyabove its base end, then digging a suitable pit, placing the mat in thepit blocked slightly above its bottom, standing the base end of thetower on said plate and welding it thereto, placing a reenforcingnetwork across the pit at the level of said collar, placing verticalshear resisting members between said mat and said network, and pouringconcrete to ll the pit and surround said mat and network and collar andthe lower end of said tower.

11. The method of building a steel tower with a reinforced concretefooting which consists in making up a complete welded bottom reenforcingmat at the shop, also making up at the shop a complete tower with thrustresisting members welded thereto a little above its bottom end, digginga pit and blocking said mat up a little from its bottom, standing saidtower on said mat and establishing a welded connection between them, andfilling in concrete to resist a tension stress at the bottom end of thetower and a thrust stress at the level of the said thrust resistingmembers.

GILBERT D. FISH.

